Lord Vishnu of the ancient Indian mythology rests on this huge serpent. This city and district are also popularly known by its anglicised name Trivandrum

Thiruvananthapuram, the southern most district of Kerala state is situated between north latitudes 8º 17′ and 8º 54′ and east longitudes 76º 41′ and 77º 17′. The southern most extremity, ‘Parasala’ is 56 kms away from Kanyakumari, the “land’s end of India”. The district stretches along the shores of the Arabian Sea for a distance of 78 kms.

Kollam district is on the north and Thirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of Tamilnadu are on the east and south respectively. The district can be divided into three geographical regions – highlands, midlands and lowlands.

Climate

The large forest reserves favourably affect the climate and induce rain in the district. It is cool in the mountain ranges and hot in the plains. Humidity is high and rises to 90 percent during the south-west monsoon. The district gets rainfall from both the south-west monsoon and the north-east monsoon. The south-west monsoon starts by June and fades out by September. The north-east monsoon starts in October. During the months of April and May, the mean daily maximum temperature rises to 35º Celsius and in December-January it may go down to 20º Celsius

Horizon situates just 9 km away from the Airport and ¼ km from the railway station and central bus stand. Right down- town, right near the shopping center, Government offices, museum, zoo and park.

Important Tourist Locations in and around Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram and its famous beaches are one of the top tourist destination of Tourists in Inida. It is the capital city of Kerala, the “God’s own Country”. Thiruvananthapuram is well connected by air, rail and road. There are air links to almost all the countries in the Gulf, besides being well connected to the rest of India. South East Asia is connected through a daily air-link to Singapore.

Thiruvananthapuram is a Railway Division office and an important Railway Station. There are daily trains to Delhi, Bombay, Chennai, and Bangalore and local train services to all points in Kerala.

Shree Padhmanabhaswamy temple

Shree Padhmanabhaswamy temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is held sacred by the Hindus from antiquity. The temple has a large complex with a huge gopuram. It has a tank beside it for ritual bathing

Kovalam

Kovalam is 12kms to the south of Thiruvananthapuram and is one of the finest beaches in India. It has been developed into an integrated seaside resort. The beach complex has many hotels, cottages, yoga centres etc.

Other Major Tourist Places

Vizhinjam: About 2kms south of Kovalam, it is believed to be an ancient port. The Dutch and Portugese had commercial establishments here. It is being developed as a modern fishing harbour

Ponmudi: A pleasant resort at an elevation of 912m above sea level. It is 61 kms from Thiruvananthapuram and connected by road. There are many tree and rubber estates around the hills.

Veli lagoon: The boat club attracts tourists by providing facilities for pedal boating , row boating , swimming on the placid waters of the veli lake.

The Kanakakunnu Palace: This palace in the heart of Trivandrum city is one of the most beautiful buildings. The palace and its sprawling grounds are today the venue for many cultural meets. The Museum building is an architectural splendour. The napier museum, the natural history museum, the reptile house and the Shri Chitra Art Gallery are in the same complex amidst a well laid out garden and park.

The Science and Technology museum, the Government Secretariat, the Kowdiar palace, the Senate house, are some of the other tourist attractions in the city.

Kanyakumari: This land’s end of India is only 87kms from Trivandrum. Also known as Cape Comorin, this beautiful spot is in the neighbouring Tamilnadu state.

Varkala: is a pilgrim centre for the devotees of Sree Narayana Guru, one of the patron saints of Kerala, whose motto was “One God, One Religion, One Caste”. It is only 51kms from Trivandrum by road and also boasts of one of the best beaches in the State.